Beside You
by Coriana
Summary: Matsuda takes a wrong turn and ends up in the country, meeting Sayu, whom he never had expected to see again.
1. Haven't Seen You Around in Awhile

Title: Beside You

Word Count: 614

* * *

><p>"No…It can't be!" Matsuda said, dropping his head onto the steering wheel—until the horn started to sound. He jerked up so fast that he thought he almost gave himself whiplash. The person in the car in front of him turned to glare.<p>

Matsuda waved and tried to give a friendly smile, but the person had already turned back around.

Matsuda dropped the smile and rolled his eyes. He pulled the map back into his lap. He wasn't sure exactly how it had happened, but he had taken a wrong turn. About five intersections ago.

He threw the map back into the passenger seat, unfolded. He had never been good at refolding maps.

He followed the road, watching as the sun set. He passed a sign proclaiming that he should enjoy his stay in nowhere land.

"Yeah, right," he said, "My one week of vacation and I take a wrong turn to the city. And end up in hickville."

Even so, he wasn't a fan of driving in the dark. He hoped that a hotel wasn't too modern for this town. He pulled his car into a small diner, killed the engine and headed inside.

There were only a couple people inside. One drinking coffee in the corner (Matsuda thought that he looked slightly suspicious), a couple holding hands and gazing into each others eyes, their tea having gone cold. Either they were secret spies trying to throw people off their path, or they really were lovesick birds.

Matsuda sat at the table where he had a clear view of his car. Just in case.

He was pretty sure he wasn't going to leave a tip for the ten minute wait, but finally a waitress came out. She had slick, straight black hair pulled into a ponytail and a nice body…Why did she look familiar?

"Do I know you?" He asked as soon as she got to his table.

The girl didn't look up; instead she stared at her little notepad. "Probably not. I've lived here the last four years." She still hadn't looked up. But now he realized her voice sounded familiar too…

"Sayu?" He said, leaning forward, trying to get a look at her face.

She back stepped, finally lifting her head up. Matsuda was surprised by the drawn appearance of her face.

"…Matsuda?" She said, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, ah, admittedly, I'm lost." He tried to give her a lopsided grin, but she didn't return any smile. Matsuda hoped she hadn't forgotten how to…

"Oh. Well, welcome," she held her hand posed on the notepad, waiting.

Matsuda wasn't sure what he had been expecting her to say. At least now he knew why he had recognized the name of the town, he remembered the Chief telling him…

A surge of guilt flooded over him, knowing that Sayu didn't know anything about how her brother had really died. About how Matsuda had practically killed him…

"Coffee," Matsuda said, dropping his head.

Sayu stayed an extra minute to see if he requested anything else, when he didn't say anything, she headed to the kitchen.

Matsuda pulled out his wallet and grabbed a tip. Placing it on the table, he left the diner.

When Sayu came out with his coffee cup in her hand, she was surprised to see Matsuda gone. Walking up to the table, she saw a tip that was ten times the amount of the coffee on the surface.

***.***

Coward.

Matsuda tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. I should go back in…

He finally started his car and pulled out of the parking lot, going to find a hotel.

Hopefully he regained his calm by breakfast tomorrow morning.


	2. Blondie

Word Count: 523

* * *

><p>The sun was bright overhead; the birds fluttered and sang, a few fluffy white clouds dotted the sky. Today was a perfect day…<p>

Except that apparently Sayu didn't do morning shifts.

Matsuda sat at the same table as last night, watching the other waitresses serve tables and refill his coffee cup.

I'm so stupid, he thought. Of course she wouldn't be doing twelve-hour shifts, she has a life.

He poured a couple of sugar packets into his newly filled cup, then the cream. He put his chin into the palm of his hand and sighed, his other hand lazily twirling the spoon around in his mug.

"You all right, hun?" Someone said behind him. He turned enough to see a pretty blonde, American waitress out of the corner of his eye. Chewing gum and holding her notepad and pencil like a weapon.

"Yeah, sure…fine."

"It looks like you've got a case of the lovesick blues. And it happened overnight," she said, a matter-of-fact tone to her voice as she seated herself across from him.

"How do you know I just haven't strayed to the countryside to mope about a love that happened to finally break after going strong for three years?"

Blondie didn't miss a beat. "You were fine and energetic last night when you stopped here. But now you look like a sad-eyed puppy. What happened? One night stand? I bet it was Lisa."

So some waitresses worked in the morning and evening. "Nothing like that," he said, "Keep your nose out of places it doesn't belong."

"Now you sound like Sayu," Blondie said.

Matsuda froze with the coffee cup almost to his lips, he quickly tried to correct the hesitation, but Blondie had been looking for it.

"Ah-ha! I knew it was Sayu. So, hun, who are you? Old lover? The reason she ran to the countryside? Obviously you two knew each other. But neither of you seemed too happy about seeing each other…oh, I know. You took her virginity, right?"

Matsuda almost spilled coffee down the front of his shirt. "Wha—no! Nothing like that, not at all. I knew her…brother. We had worked together. So we had met a couple times."

"That's it?" Blondie mockingly sighed, "I was hoping for some more dirt on lil' ol' Sayu."

"Sorry to disappoint you," he said. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and started to pull out a tip.

"You don't have to run off. I don't bite."

"I have a hard time believing that," Matsuda looked at her name plate that she had mostly hidden with her hair, "Melinda."

She tipped her nose into the air, "I prefer Meli, hun."

"Why do you keep calling me that? You sound like an old grandma."

"Well, you can take it as an affectionate 'honey', but it's actually shorter for, 'hunk'."

"Uhhm," Matsuda said. "You've completely messed up my thoughts of whenever I hear a little granny say that."

She winked at him.

Matsuda finished his coffee then pulled on his coat.

"Hey," Meli said, leaning forward, "Sayu starts work at five, I have a feeling I'll see you here."

"Meh…" Matsuda mumbled.


	3. It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

It's Five O' Clock Somewhere

Word Count: 917

* * *

><p>"Come on, its, like, fate. Live with it. What are the chances that you two would meet four years later? It sounds like a sappy love story," Meli said into her phone, her best friend remained silent on the other side.<p>

"Meli, it was just happenstance. He said he got lost," Sayu's voice crinkled over the line.

"'Got lost'…Right Sayu. Even if he did just 'get lost' he still hasn't left yet. In fact, you can probably be expecting him to show at five."

"Oh, Meli," Sayu groaned. Meli could clearly see her friend putting her head into her hands.

"All right, so I'm coming over. We're going to pick you out a nice outfit."

"I'm okay with my own clothes."

"Ah, I see. It's the 'I'm Not Changing Myself for Anyone, So There' attitude."

"Thank you, Meli. I'll see you tonight."

"Wait, how do you guys really know each other?"

"What did he tell you?"

"That he worked with your brother and you met a couple of times."

"That is exactly how it was."

"Nothing there? No old relationship?"

"No. Though he did always kind of like me," Sayu's voice was a little quieter.

Meli nodded her head sagely, "Silent Stalker."

"No he wasn't! I wish you wouldn't always been putting things into categories."

"It's my own special skill."

"I'll talk to you tonight, okay?"

"All right. Oh, make sure you wear that hat I brought you last year. You look so cute in that."

"I'm not wearing anything different, Meli. Bye." The line went dead.

***.***

"Eh, what do you mean that you don't open until five o'clock!" Matsuda said.

The owner gave him a blank look. "It means we don't open, sir."

"But then why are you here?"

"Because I'm cleaning everything that the girls didn't do earlier."

"At three-thirty?"

"Do you want me to start cleaning when the customers are arriving?"

Matsuda folded his arms and didn't comment.

"Would you like a reservation for five?" The man asked.

Matsuda had a feeling that this tiny little diner in the middle of nowhere did not hold reservations. This just made him grumpier because that meant he was being messed with.

"No, I want a table now," he said. He wasn't quite sure why he was doing this. Maybe it was just to tick off the owner, which he logically knew really wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"At five, you can come back," the owner said.

"I'm sure it's five somewhere in the world."

"Why would I care?"

Matsuda couldn't come up with an answer, so he just glared at him.

The owner finally shook his head then walked back into the diner, leaving the door open. Matsuda hesitantly followed, waiting for the guy to turn around and hit him or something.

Nothing happened; the owner just went back to cleaning whatever he had been cleaning.

Matsuda sat down at which was becoming HIS table, and read through the menu. Even though he knew he wasn't going to get any service for another hour and a half.

He was so pleased to see other cars pulling in around four-thirty. Hoping that maybe one of them was Sayu.

The waitresses that started coming in gave him odd looks. A dark haired woman covered her mouth and giggled at him.

Matsuda had a feeling that everyone knew who he was thanks to Meli.

The same dark-haired woman came up to him at precisely five o'clock. "What'll it be?" She asked, her voice had a breathless sound to it.

"Hmmm," Matsuda said. "Lets see..." He looked up to see the owner putting on an apron and picking up some cooking utensils. Matsuda smiled.

"Okay, I think I'll take one of everything," he said, handing her the menu back.

She shook her head and let out a small chuckle. Then she yelled off what the customer wanted as she walked back to the counter.

The owner (and cook) looked through the breakfast nook and flipped Matsuda off. Matsuda gave a friendly smile back but it faltered slightly in competition with the cook's grin.

Matsuda waited for what seemed like forever—a matter of forty-five minutes.

He was distracted from the thought of when the food would come, though, because a silver-colored car had just pulled into the parking lot.

Matsuda watched as Sayu got out of the car. She was wearing tight-fitting black jeans with cowboy boots and a white Tee. She wore a black jacket and a cute little gray hat. Her black hair was arranged around her pale face, flaring out from under the hat. She looked like she was heading towards a photo shoot instead of a diner.

"Here's your order," said the black haired waitress.

Matsuda looked down at the strange substance sandwiched between two hamburger buns. "What is this?" He said.

"Your order," she repeated. "Apparently it's everything off the menu cooked down in a pot."

"That is disgusting," he said, poking it with his fork.

"Well, you really shouldn't mess with the owner."

"I've noticed," he said, looking at the coffee cup. "Is the coffee safe?" He asked.

"It should be. I think I saved that."

Matsuda took a hesitant sip, and was pleased when it didn't taste like every soda had been mixed into the coffee. "Thank you," he said, then gestured to the plate in front of him, "Would you mind?"

She smiled and took the plate back. Matsuda heard the front door open.

"Hey, Sayu, you're here early…"


	4. How Do You Drink All That Coffee?

Word Count: 750

* * *

><p>Sayu let in a deep breath as she stood in the employees lounge, pulling on her apron and taking out a new pad of paper and a pen.<p>

He had just waved to her. She really shouldn't be acting flustered.

She took off her hat and pulled her hair up. She stared at herself in the mirror for a minute, then took the hair band back out. Putting the band between her teeth, she started braiding her hair. It took a bit longer then she thought it would because she was out of practice. She hadn't worn her hair in anything but a ponytail for the last four years.

When she finally perfected the braid, she tossed it over her shoulder, even though she knew it wouldn't stay there the whole shift.

She wore no makeup, her hair was in a messy braid, and her clothes were just that, clothes. Plus she couldn't wear hats when she was working.

But she didn't think he cared.

***.***

Meli refilled Matsuda's coffee up, watching as he poured some cream and sugar into it.

"How do you drink all that coffee?" She said, "Can you even sleep after you leave here?"

"Caffeine does not affect me," he said, pointing his noise up in a mock-haughty way.

"Yeah, that's probably a good thing," she said.

"What does that mean?"

The dark-haired waitress came up behind Meli, holding a coffee pot. "Oh, you already filled up his cup. I wanted to do it."

"…Wha?" Matsuda said.

"You snooze you lose, Shiori," Meli said, grinning.

"Maybe one of you can ask Sayu to fill up the cup," Matsuda said.

"She can't, she's working on the other side of the diner tonight. She works on this side the next night. Oh, wait, not the next night but the night after. She doesn't work tomorrow," Meli said, putting a finger on her chin as she sorted out the information.

"Don't you guys think that this diner is a little small to be run like that?" Matsuda asked, downing his coffee.

Shiori clapped like he just drank a shot of whiskey.

"The Boss used to run a high-star restaurant. So he runs his little diner like that, too," Meli said.

Harsh banging on a metal pan made the girls turn around, the 'Boss' giving them a 'get back to work' look.

They grinned and giggled at each other, then ran off before Matsuda could ask what they were laughing at.

They didn't even refill his coffee cup.

After most of the people had left the diner, there was only a couple in the corner finishing their dessert, the girls started to clean up.

Meli swept the floor, softly singing some American song. The dark hair one—Shiori—was washing tables, and Matsuda caught glimpses of Sayu walking back and forth with dishes. The Boss was cleaning the kitchen.

The couple paid for their meal then left, walking out hand in hand. Sayu started piling up their plates.

She was only three tables away from Matsuda.

She wore her hair in braid, the twists starting to come loose after all the walking and pushing hair out of her face.

"Hi," Matsuda said.

Sayu turned slightly to look at him, then gave him a soft smile, "Hello."

Matsuda heard Meli drop the broom as she scurried off to give them privacy.

"So, I—uh, heard that your day off was tomorrow," Matsuda said, "…courtesy of Meli."

Sayu shrugged her shoulders, "It is, but I have to work on the farm."

"…You own a farm?"

"Yeah, with my mother."

"Ah. Do you need help?"

"…With what?" Sayu said, looking puzzled.

"On the farm. I'm not as wimpy as I look, I could lift some heavy objects."

Sayu gave a small smile. Not so much at his joke, but at the fact that he was the only guy that ever offered to help on the farm she lived on.

"Yeah. You can come," she said. She pulled out her pen and paper and wrote out the address for him.

"Thanks, I'll be there."

They smiled at each other.

The moment ended when the Boss pulled Matsuda out of the booth. "We're closed," he snapped.

"Uh! Right! Going!" Matsuda pulled out the money and handed it to the Boss then was out the door.

Sayu watched as Matsuda walked to his car. He gave a friendly wave before getting into the vehicle.

Meli came up behind her and wrapped her arm around Sayu's shoulders, grinning.


	5. It's a Rooster

Title: It's a Rooster…

Word Count: 686

* * *

><p>Matsuda pulled into the dusty driveway of the Yagami house. The Yagami house gone country.<p>

Some chickens were in the yard, scratching and pecking at the ground. Matsuda was pleased that he knew that one of them was a rooster—a rooster that was watching him like he wanted to pick a fight.

"Hey, now, buddy. I have the gun," Matsuda said, giving him the evil eye.

The rooster crowed at him.

They continued their staring contest. Matsuda knew that he obviously couldn't shoot Sayu's chicken, but he was also noticing that the thing had some wicked spurs on it's feet…

"Oh, be nice, Henry," Sayu said behind Matsuda.

"Eh?" Matsuda said. Sayu walked by him and picked up the monster into her arms.

"Henry…the Hen," Matsuda said.

"He's a rooster," Sayu said, giving him a sympathetic look.

Oh, damn, now Sayu thought that he couldn't tell the two apart. "I knew that," he said lamely.

She smiled and shook her head. She had her hair pulled up, was wearing a 'country' plaid button-down over a white Tee. Blue jeans and boots made up the rest of her outfit. All she needed was a hat and she'd be ready to go to a farm magazine photo-shoot.

"Why are you here so late?" She said.

"Late," Matsuda repeated, "It's eight in the morning!"

"Oh, is it?" She scrunched her nose, "I've been up since five."

"Whaa?" He stammered, making her laugh.

"That's okay," she said, "There's still work to do…like cleaning out the horse stalls." She turned and started to stride away.

"Wait, I said lifting things…not cleaning…Sayu?" She was already headed to the big red barn.

Well, she certainly knew how to take advantage of situations.

"I didn't know horses could make such a mess," Matsuda said, filling up the next wheelbarrow load.

"And this is only two horses. You should see the people who own stables," she said.

They kind of had a routine going. Matsuda pitch-forked everything into the wheelbarrow, and Sayu dumped it in some place she called the 'compost pile'. Which was somewhere near the garden, so they could easily access it for fertilizer in the garden. Matsuda knew only too well now what fertilizer was.

"This should be the last load," Sayu commented.

"Good," Matsuda huffed. He was glad he had packed more casual wear into his suitcase—jeans and Tee shirts instead of suits—but his shoes would've been completely ruined if Sayu hadn't borrowed him some huge heavy-duty mud boots.

"Do you wear these?" He had asked when she'd given them to him; he couldn't help noting how small her feet were.

"No. Not at all. But I saw them at a garage sale for a few bucks so I decided to get them, just in case."

In fact, the boots were even too big on him, but it was better the ruining the only shoes he brought along.

"All right! That's it!" Sayu said, pushing the wheelbarrow out of the barn and into the sun.

Matsuda wiped his face with a handkerchief. He propped up the pitchfork against the side of the stall and heaved a breath. God, it was hot.

When Sayu came back, it hardly looked like there was sweat on her brow.

"Geez, we've must have worked hours," he said.

"It's nine."

"Oh…"

"Well, do you want to come in for breakfast?" She asked as they headed out of the barn.

"Hrm…I think I'm going back to the hotel to take a shower…" Matsuda said.

She chuckled. "Come back for dinner, then?"

He grinned, "Yeah. What time?"

"Six."

"I'll be here." Once they got to the porch, he slipped his feet out of the mammoth boots and puts his shoes back on.

Matsuda saw Ms. Yagami through the window. He gave her a friendly wave.

She smiled back, then moved away from the window.

"See you, Sayu," Matsuda said.

"Bye."

Once he was in the car, he couldn't believe the state his clothes were in. At least his shoes were clean.

His work shoes…

Work! He had to head back to work in two days!


	6. That Stupid Grin

Title: That Stupid Grin

Word Count: 524

* * *

><p>"Mom started buying animals to help pull me out of my depression. She said that giving me something to do would help," Sayu said.<p>

"But…a chicken?" Matsuda asked.

Sayu laughed, "What's wrong with a chicken?"

"Well, I can understand a dog… or a cat…but a chicken?"

"Henry is a good chicken," Sayu grinned, "The dog and the cat came next, followed by the flock of chickens, the horses, and the goat."

"I didn't see a goat," Matsuda said, taking a drink of tea. The cat that Sayu had just mentioned lay sprawled over Matsuda's feet, purring.

"She's a solitary goat," Sayu said, with a wink.

"So, these are your first real pets?"

"Yeah…Dad was allergic to animal hair, and Light didn't like them. So, I never even had a kitten in my childhood."

They were both standing on the porch of the big, country-styled house. Matsuda could smell the cooking of Mrs. Yagami floating through of the opened screens, making his stomach rumble.

"The stars are so bright out in the country," Matsuda said, saying the most cliché line that came to his mind.

"Hm-mh," Sayu agreed, "I can't even remember a night without stars now, I've been away from the city for so long, but I bet it's a lonely night."

Lonely. Matsuda's mind clung to the word, echoing it over and over for him in his head.

"The food will be done soon," Mrs. Yagami's voice was soft and drifty, but Matsuda was still able to make out what she said even on the porch.

Dinner was marvelous…and quiet. Mrs. Yagami didn't talk much, which led the other two at the table to be just as silent.

Matsuda was slightly relieved when dinner was over and Sayu brought Matsuda back out to the porch, showing him some potted plants that she had been growing this summer. Matsuda felt guilty about leaving Mrs. Yagami alone to do the dishes, but Sayu told him that she preferred to do it alone.

Matsuda had a feeling that Mrs. Yagami preferred to do everything alone.

Sayu walked out with Matsuda to his car, her dog following them outside.

I should tell her that I'm leaving in a few days… Matsuda thought; she was talking about her hopes of maybe getting a cow next spring.

But what if she doesn't even care? Was the next thought, troubling Matsuda further. Maybe I should ask Aizawa for a few more days off…

"Are you all right?" Sayu said, peering up at him.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thank you for dinner, it was nice."

She smiled and tilted her head.

"So, you'll be working tomorrow night?" He said.

"Yes, and I have a feeling that you'll be there?"

He grinned, "Of course."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, then," she gave him one last smile then headed back to the house.

I didn't tell her…he thought. But she has to know that this was a vacation, and that he'd be leaving at some point. She's never brought that up, though.

_Did_ that mean she didn't care?

A disturbed Matsuda still stood in the driveway, with that stupid grin still plastered to his face.


	7. The Buffoon or the Flirt?

Word Count: 902

* * *

><p>Meli thought it was amusing.<p>

Matsuda did not.

"What on earth…" Matsuda grumbled when he walked into the diner in the evening hours. On His table, was a sign in cursive handwriting, which declared: Touta Matsuda's Table.

Matsuda picked up the sign and stuck it in his briefcase.

"Now, how do you know that Sayu didn't make that? She might be disappointed that you removed it," Meli said, grinning as she handed him a coffee cup and a bowl of soup.

"…Did she make it?" Matsuda asked.

"Hmm, I can't say I remember," Meli said, strutting away.

"Meli!" He snapped, but she had already disappeared to the other side of the diner.

Matsuda looked down at the bowl in front of him. It looked like yellow broth with a hint of red to it.

"Shiori," he said, stopping her from walking past with his hand. She stopped and raised her eyebrow.

"What is this?" He asked, "I didn't order anything."

She shrugged, "Then I guess the Boss made it on the house for you," she was very good at keeping a straight face. Even so, Matsuda saw her try and smother a smile as she turned away quickly.

Matsuda thought it was safer to just drink his coffee.

He had arrived late this evening. He had been packing, since he had to leave at some point tomorrow. Even so, he didn't see Sayu. He wondered where she was…

"Don't worry, she's still coming. I guess one of her animals were giving birth and was having trouble," Meli said, followed by a shudder. She had come up behind him, after seating a small family.

"Oh, thank you," Matsuda said, putting his chin in his hand.

"What's wrong?" Meli asked.

"Uh, well…I have to leave for work tomorrow."

Meli's mouth made a perfect little O. "I guess you need a going away party," she said, "We'll be losing a valuable customer…or we might be able to actually tell other people that come in that, yes, we have coffee because the buffoon isn't drinking it all anymore."

Matsuda rolled his eyes and she laughed, "Have you told Sayu?"

He looked into the depths of his coffee cup, hoping to find the answer.

"Ah-ha. Well, maybe—" Meli started, but was cut off by the bang of a spoon hitting a pot. The Boss was giving her a grumpy look.

Meli winked at him then headed off.

"Buffoon…?" Matsuda grumbled. He wondered what she had been about to say.

But his thoughts were interrupted by the dim ring of the little bell on the door. He looked up to see Sayu coming through the door, looking pretty in pink with a pale rose blouse on, and loose fitting jeans. She looked tired but happy.

He waved to her, and she gave a sleepy smile back before heading into the employee's only door.

Matsuda let his hand fall, sighing. He wasn't quite sure how to tell her about him leaving tomorrow, but it shouldn't be that hard, right?

He sat there and stewed, watching her move back and forth between tables, giving him smiles now and then. She made small chitchat with some folks, as a good waitress should, but she didn't look too happy about it all the time.

What Matsuda was _not_ happy about was the one guy that kept flirting with her. Touching her arm, sappy smile, talking way too long, taking too much of her time.

And in Matsuda's opinion, he wasn't even that good-looking. Matsuda was too far to hear conversation, but he hoped that she wasn't flirting back with him.

He was knocked out of his thought – literally – from Meli knocking on his head with her fist. "Something wrong?" She asked.

Any words he said were unintelligible; they came out slurred and mumbled as he watched the two.

"Oooh…" Meli said, noticing. Her mascara coated eyes fluttering as she watched, she touched Matsuda's arm.

"Don't worry. She doesn't like him."

Matsuda felt a huge pressure release in his chest.

Meli walked towards the Sayu and the Flirt. Turning into all giggles and smiles, she linked her arm with Sayu's, said something to Flirt, then walked away with Sayu. A relieved look graced Sayu's face.

Meli patted Sayu's arm, then headed off, first winking to Matsuda.

Sayu walked up to his table, "More coffee?" She said.

Matsuda looked down at his cup. He hadn't even realized that he had drunk it all.

As she filled up the too-small cup, Matsuda tried to think of the best way to tell her that he was leaving tomorrow.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Uh…um…mmn." Matsuda cleared his throat, "Sayu, I have to head out tomorrow, at around noon. But, I wanted to tell you…that it was nice seeing you again…"

"Oh," was that disappointment that crossed her face? "Yeah, it was real nice to see you, too."

An awkward couple moments passed, with them not meeting each other's eyes. It was broken by the bang of a pot, and the Glare of the Boss.

"Well, ah, what time were you leaving?" She asked.

"Noon."

"You should stop by the diner, I'll see you head off," she said.

"I thought you didn't work in the morning?"

"I'm sure Shiori will let me take her shift."

He nodded, "Okay, I'll stop by."

"All right then… bye," Sayu turned around and walked away.

"See you tomorrow…" Matsuda mumbled to himself.


	8. Until We Meet Again

Word Count: 246

* * *

><p>Sayu was there when Matsuda pulled into the diner's parking lot.<p>

She was leaning against an old wood fence that lined one side of the parking lot. She wore jeans and a pale gray shirt. Her hair was loose and was blowing softly in the breeze.

He got out of his car as soon as it was parked, straightening his tie. She started moving as soon as his car stopped, running her fingers through her hair.

They met somewhere in the middle.

"Well, uh, it was great to see you again, Sayu," Matsuda said, extending his hand.

She took it with a smile, "It was nice. I'm glad you stayed."

Standing there was awkward, but they both couldn't seem to break the silence.

"Maybe I'll come by again sometime," he said, gesturing his hands to the area. "Help you clean out the stables."

Sayu chuckled, "I'd like that."

"Right…" Matsuda said, losing whatever he was going to say.

Silence.

The tapping on the window made Matsuda turn, he saw Boss in the window, pointing to a watch.

Sayu giggled behind her hand.

"I guess I better get going," Matsuda said, looking at his own watch.

"I guess I'll see you next time you get lost?" She said, slowly walking past him.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "I should get lost more."

"Bye," she said, waving.

"Good-bye, Sayu," Matsuda said, getting back into his car.

He held the steering wheel tightly as he watched her enter the building.


	9. The Matsuda Raffle Jar

Word Count: 474

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe you didn't even ask for his phone number. I'm disappointed in you," Meli waved a finger at Sayu, "Have I not taught you anything?"<p>

Sayu rolled her eyes at her, "I just never got around to it."

"That is not an excuse."

"What does it matter, Meli?" Sayu said, hanging up her apron. The diner was closed until the evening hours. "He lives in the city with a good job; I live three hours away on a farm with my mother."

"And that means?"

"I'm not ever going back to the city. I don't know if I could ever handle it. And I assure you, that he's not coming to the county. So then what? We might become more than friends, but it won't ever work out."

Meli folded her arms, "I don't know, I think he could become a farmer," she scrunched her nose and grinned, "I think he would look cute in overalls."

Sayu shook her head and grabbed her purse. Meli followed her out of the diner.

"Besides," Meli said, "did you ask _him_ if he was cut out for farm life? You just assumed there, girl. Maybe he's willing to do more then you think."

"What for? You mean that I should assume that he would leave his life in the city to live a boring life in the country?" Sayu said.

"Country life is not boring! And, hey, I thought you asked him to come back. Now you're sounding like you didn't mean it."

"Well, I did. But I think I was just kidding myself. He's not going to come back."

They both walked to the quaint little town, a few market booths set up in the street. Meli linked her arm with Sayu's and dragged her over to the nearest one, which was selling various glass jar sizes for canning and herbs.

"If you ask me," Meli said, picking up a large, globe shaped jar, "I think that he's craving to leave the city. It's not like he speaks highly of it."

"I never heard him speak of the city," Sayu said, touching a squat jar that might work for storing the mint in the garden.

"You guys were probably busy talking about something else," Meli said, putting the bottle down and picking up another similar looking one.

"What are you doing?" Sayu asked, watching Meli pay for the container.

"Hm? Oh, this?" Meli winked at her friend, "Why, I'm making a Matsuda Raffle Jar!" Meli started skipping away, making Sayu run to catch up to her.

"Ah…a, _what_?" Sayu said.

"I'm going to put it in the diner, and tell people to put a slip in with the date that they think Matsuda will come back on."

Sayu groaned, "He's not coming back, Meli, please stop it."

"Oh, I assure you, my friend, he will."


	10. Degrade Your Stature

Word Count: 586

* * *

><p>"<em>I missed you," Sayu whispered, her gleaming black hair streaming behind her from the wind. <em>

"_I did too, but it's all right, I'm here now." Matsuda leaned in to kiss her, but was distracted by the book flying over her head._

"Matsuda! Will you please pay attention?" Aizawa snapped, brandishing another book.

Matsuda groaned and put his chin into his hand. At this point in the conversation, Matsuda didn't bother trying to figure out what they were talking about, since he hadn't been listening to any word that had been spoken.

When the speech was over, Matsuda had only been so happy one other time: when he had smeared mud all over his grandmother's car windows. Which is a story that no one should ask about.

"What's wrong, Matsuda?" Aizawa asked as Matsuda was walking by his desk.

"Hm? Oh, nothing."

"Right. You have lovesickness written all over your face." Aizawa chuckled, setting a stack of paper on the side of his desk.

"Then why did you ask?" Matsuda said. He wished that he hadn't told Aizawa that he had met Sayu on his vacation.

"I was just wondering if you'd admit it."

"Admit what?" Matsuda asked, standing straighter and narrowing his eyes.

Aizawa shook his head. He had decided to just keep his hair cut than to grow it back out again. "You act just like I did when I met my wife."

"I think you just degraded your stature by comparing yourself to me."

"I guess everyone acts like fools when they're in love."

"I guess…hey, wait a minute."

"Even so," Aizawa said before Matsuda could finish, "what do you plan to do?"

"I…I don't know," Matsuda said. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Well, actually, I was thinking of heading back there this weekend. Like a surprise visit…"

"It's only been a week."

"You asked what I was planning to do, don't laugh at it," Matsuda grumbled.

"You're going to be paying a fortune for all the gas you'll need if you go back every weekend."

"Yeah, but her smile is worth it." It took Matsuda moment to realize what he had just said out loud. He became conscious of it so soon because of Aizawa's laughter.

Aizawa put a hand over his mouth to stifle the sound. Matsuda nearly had smoke coming out of his ears.

"I actually did want to ask you this, but I kept forgetting," Aizawa said, making Matsuda's ears perk, even though his eyebrows were still furrowed.

Five minutes went by as Aizawa read a piece of paper.

"What were you going to say?" Matsuda asked.

"Hm? Oh. I was wondering how it would work out between you two if anything else blossoms. Are you going to move to the country?"

Matsuda scratched the back of his head. "I guess I haven't really thought of it. Why wouldn't she come back here?"

"Are you kidding? She ran from this place. She won't come back."

"I…I guess she wouldn't," Matsuda said, his forehead crinkling.

"And what about her brother? Are you ever going to tell her the truth?"

"Brain overload!" Matsuda said, covering his ears with his hands. "Stop talking!"

"Well, just wanted to give you something to think about."

Matsuda dropped his hands and nodded, sighing. "I don't know how I'll tell her."

The two were silent for a few minutes, and then Aizawa shoved a stack of paper towards Matsuda. "You can do this paperwork when you're thinking about her smile."

"Oh, shut up!"


	11. It's Always Someone Else's Fault

Word Count: 498

* * *

><p>"No…it can't be!" Matsuda said, hitting the steering wheel. Now that he was actually <em>looking<em> for the place, he couldn't find it.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Aizawa's number.

"Hello?" The voice crackled.

"I need help. Could you look up this town for me?" Matsuda said, rattling off the town's name.

There was silence on the line as Aizawa typed it into the computer. "Okay, now do you know where you are?"

"I just went passed this little town…" He gave that name to Aizawa as well.

"Well, you went the wrong way when you practically pulled out of your parking lot, so now you're nearly a half-a-day away from your destination."

Matsuda was quiet, his mouth twisted into a scowl, "please tell me you're not being serious."

"I'm always serious. Now, do you have paper and a pen? I'll give you the directions quickly, because I need to finish this paperwork before I can go home. You even distract me when you're not even here."

"Well, I would have been less likely to bother you if you had just let me off Friday. But no, you had to let me off Saturday. And not just Saturday, but you also had to let me off in the afternoon. And now it's eight o'clock."

"No, the real reason that you're bothering me is because you were too lazy to look up the directions while you were still at home. But you were just hoping that your love would guide you."

"Aizawa, be quiet…"

**_*.*_**

"Aw, damn Matsuda, there goes my vote," Meli said, crumbling up her piece of paper and throwing it into the trash. She was throwing out every person's vote whose date had passed.

Sayu swept the floor while Meli wrote down votes, since the deadline had ended Friday. Sayu occasionally had to sweep up any stray paper that missed the trashcan.

Meli suddenly let out a small scream, making Sayu nearly jump out of her skin. "What? What is it?"

"Well, first off, I want to know why you don't have a vote in here. And second off, I want to know why _Boss _has a vote," Meli waved the little slip around.

"There's money involved. That's why," Sayu gave a small smile, "What date did he say?"

"Sunday, 5:00 p.m." Meli's eyes narrowed, "Why exactly five o'clock? I wonder if Boss knows something we don't," she tipped her nose into the air, "If he does, then he's cheating."

Sayu put the broom in the closet, then she pulled on her coat and hat. "Are you ready to go?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, let me get my coat."

**_*.*_**

"This is so not fair, and I'm blaming everything on you, Aizawa, since you didn't let me off on Friday," Matsuda said to nobody.

He stood in the middle of a hotel room, with his arms folded and a grimace on his face.

"That is indeed the last time I never look up the directions first."


	12. Understanding Women is Beyond Everyone

Word Count: 696

* * *

><p>Meli wanted to whack that smug look off of Sayu's face. Sunday evening and Matsuda still hadn't shown back up. Maybe her best friend was right; maybe he really wasn't coming back…<p>

Meli folded her arms and looked over at Matsuda's empty table – empty because she wouldn't let people sit in it.

She looked at her wristwatch. 4:53 p.m. There was still time.

***.***

It was almost five when Matsuda pulled into the diner's parking lot. Aizawa had granted him Monday off, since he didn't think Matsuda would make it back in time for work, anyway.

Tired was the only thing that Matsuda felt. Sitting in a car for nearly two days had that effect on you. He just hoped Sayu was here. Otherwise, everything would have been for naught.

Getting out of the car was the most painful thing he'd ever done, his legs all cramped. He made the strangest faces as he rubbed his thighs, trying to work out the tension.

Once inside the diner, it was five o'clock and he almost ran into Meli.

"Excuse— Oh!" Meli's eyes went wide, a grin breaking onto her face, "you're here!" She shouted, making some heads turn.

Matsuda looked around, but he didn't see Sayu anywhere. He sighed.

Suddenly a dark, looming presence came up behind him, covering Matsuda in shadow. He cringed and turned slowly. Seeing that it was only Boss behind him, but that didn't make Matsuda anymore at ease.

Boss patted Matsuda's shoulder, taking Matsuda off guard.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down," he said, then he held out his hand to Meli, who scrunched her nose and rolled her eyes.

She pulled out an envelope and handed it to Boss, who turned around and went back to work. Some people clapped.

"Wait," Matsuda said, "what was that? A bet?"

"Practically," she said with a smile, "It was a gamble for when people thought you would come back, and Boss won…" She finished a little more half-heartedly, crossing her arms.

"How much was I worth?"

"A hundred and fifty."

"That's it?" Matsuda said, though he wasn't that sure how much he cared anymore, since he had seen Sayu come out of the employees' lounge. She had her hair pulled up in a ponytail, was wearing dark jeans and a white t-shirt, and the light gray apron.

When she noticed him, shock laced her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well…" was she not pleased to see him? "I thought that I would come by for a surprise visit."

"It's…only been, what, a week?" She asked.

"Yeah…" Matsuda said, feeling his face flushing a little.

She made the smallest tweak of a smile, but it made him feel better.

"Coffee?" Meli asked, killing the tension between them.

"What? Oh, yes," Matsuda said. Sitting at His table, he was wondering if he really should be drinking coffee, since he wanted to sleep well tonight.

But after Meli poured the cup, he decided that there was a line for when caffeine didn't make a difference to keeping you awake or not.

He drank it slowly, watching Sayu serve food, fill water and carry dishes. He kept staring at his menu, thinking that he should eat something, but maybe he was too tired to even do that.

"It looks like you have eye shadow on," Meli commented, watching his face intently.

Matsuda jerked and sat up straight, his adrenaline spiking. He hadn't even noticed that she was there. "Well, I don't," he said.

"Hm, tired?" She asked, looking into his only half-empty cup. "You weren't this tired last time you came."

"Well, it wasn't until late yesterday that I noticed that I had gone the wrong way, and then I spent the next day driving the other way. Now I'm finally here." After he finished, he wondered why he had just told such an embarrassing story.

Meli put her hand to her heart, "Oh, that is just so sweet, romantic and adorable." She giggled. "You're so cute," she said. He could only watch her dumbstruck as she flounced away.

Things that men would consider dumb, girls think are cute.

Women. Would he ever understand them?


	13. Tell Me Something

Word Count: 404

* * *

><p>Sayu sat curled in her father's armchair, the one thing that she had not wanted to get rid of. It was old, and worn, but it still made her think of him. She had always used to sit in his lap when she was sick, and they would watch movies until she fell asleep. When she'd wake up, he wouldn't be there, but she'd be curled on the chair, completely burrowed in blankets.<p>

She missed him.

Sayu was now a little too big to officially curl into a ball, but she could still tuck herself into the sloping surface. She was holding a mug of tea, and was covered with a knit shawl that used to be her mother's.

She had always remembered that her Dad hadn't approved of Matsuda, he had once told her that 'that man didn't have the brains for her', or something along those lines.

But now in his passing, maybe he would have liked to known that she was with someone that he knew and trusted.

"What am I doing," she mumbled to herself, thumping herself on the head with her palm, "I'm acting like I'm ready to marry the man."

"Sayu?" Sachiko's soft voice floated into the room. Sayu looked up from her position on the couch, which was situated on the far side of her room.

"Are you okay?" Her mother asked, moving into the room.

Sayu nodded. She and her mother didn't have many mother-daughter conversations anymore. She heard people say on the street that they were a withdrawn and quiet pair, if only they knew it was even towards each other.

It left a deep longing in Sayu's heart, wishing for a life that wasn't so wearisome at home. She had taken the waitress job to be out of the house, and the farm animals kept the rest of her time occupied, but maybe there was room for more.

But she didn't know what. Or who?

She wanted her father to tell her it was okay to move on, she wanted her mother to tell her that he was a nice guy.

She wanted someone to tell her _something_.

Sachiko came in and kissed Sayu on the forehead, "Goodnight, dear," Sachiko told her.

"'Night, mom," Sayu whispered back.

As she watched her mother walk back into the hallway, Sayu realized that the only one person that would tell her how to live her life – her.


	14. Do You Mind?

Word Count: 1,257

* * *

><p>Meli grudgingly picked up her cell phone, which was sitting on her nightstand. The sun was shining through the curtains, but she would have preferred to sleep for a couple more hours.<p>

"Hello?" She said, yawning.

"Hi, Meli," Sayu's voice said on the other side of the line. "Have you seen Matsuda? He isn't at the hotel, and his car's not here."

"I haven't even left my house. Are you sure he was staying today?"

"_You_ told me he was staying today."

"Oh, yeah," Meli said brightly, remembering. "Maybe I was mistaken."

"Meli!" Sayu actually sounded horrified. How sweet.

"Well, have you checked around town?"

Hesitation on the line. "No," Sayu finally said.

"Then there's your problem. He probably was trying to get to the diner, but got lost."

"But the diner is practically across the street from the hotel."

"This is Matsuda we're talking about."

They were both quiet as they thought about that remark.

"Anyway, he probably went to explore. Call me if you find him," Meli said. "Good night."

Sayu blinked and eyed her phone strangely, "Meli! It's eleven o'clock!"

"So? Good-night!"

"Good morning!"

"Bah!" Meli said as a final word before she snapped her phone shut. She smiled and lazily buried herself back underneath the covers.

She wondered what was in store for today.

***.***

The town was, as Sayu described it, a town that if you sneezed you might miss it. It was quaint and everyone knew each other. There were some houses that were scattered farther out of the actual town (like her house). There were some necessities stores, the police station, and the diner which was on the edge of town, along with the hotel, with houses dotted all between.

With the town so small, it truly wasn't hard to find Matsuda. He was outside of the police station talking to the three members of the station, one which was the chief, who was to be retiring soon.

She parked a little ways down, and walked the rest of the way to the station, where Matsuda was telling a police story.

He stopped as soon as he spotted her though. "Sayu!" He called, "did you sleep well?"

'Hello Sayu' was echoed between the three other cops.

"The way Boss was talking about this guy, I really had low hopes for him. He's not as bad as he made him appear, though," the youngest guy on the force said, grinning at Matsuda as if he was his new idol.

"Yeah, it'll be a nice change from me," said Chief. It made Sayu quirk her eyebrows.

"Why will there be a change?" She asked.

Before the three could respond, Matsuda said, "Well! I guess we should be going. Thank you for the information." He shook each of their hands before leading Sayu away from them.

Sayu was going to re-voice her question, but instead Matsuda said, "Sayu, I have a very serious question for you."

She was so startled that she didn't know what to say.

So he continued, "Does everyone call Boss around here Boss? Does he have a real name?"

"Oh," she said, and then couldn't help her laughter. "You think of the strangest things, Matsuda."

"I think it's quite ponderous," he said, putting his hand to his chin.

She couldn't help her silly smile. It made her feel good.

"I assume that Boss has a real name, but I don't believe I've ever heard it spoken." She leaned closer to him, not catching his blush, "He must be a secret agent or something."

Matsuda grinned, "I believe you might be right."

They both chuckled at that, and then lapsed into unsure silence.

"Do you want me to show you around town?" she asked.

"Well, I don't think there's much else to see, but sure, you can show me around."

They wandered around the town with Sayu pointing out houses and who lived in them and how long. Who owned the grocery store and the hardware store, about the hotel that could be seen from the other edge of town.

They stood in front of a little white, block-like house with flowers in all the window boxes and garden beds all around the house. There was a neatly swept sidewalk, and a cat drinking from a small bowl on the porch.

The house was so picture perfect, that Matsuda couldn't believe that the person, who Sayu just told him lived here, actually lived here.

"Boss lives _here_?" Matsuda said, flabbergasted.

Sayu nodded solemnly. "Has it ruined your image of a secret agent?"

"It certainly has."

A thought struck Sayu, she turned to Matsuda, "When are you leaving? Today or tomorrow?"

"I'm leaving this evening. I need to be at work tomorrow morning."

"Oh," she said, then realized how close she was standing to him. It took a lot of will-power not to move back,

"Um, when are you coming back?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe this weekend? If I can work it into my schedule. I'm sure I've got a lot of paper work to do." He didn't look excited about that.

She nodded, looking up into his eyes, "I'll miss you."

He looked down at her. She only came up to his chest level. She was so small and fragile… He carefully brushed his fingers against her cheek.

It made her heart race strangely. She had only been kissed once, and it hadn't done anything for her. But she hadn't felt like this then.

They moved closer until their noses touched. She could feel his breath on her lips, making her lips tingle.

She closed her eyes, and then…she heard the severe banging of a pot and she momentarily thought that she was in the diner.

Matsuda and she jerked away from each other.

"Do you _mind_?" Boss said, holding a pot and metal spoon. The cat hadn't budged, as if it was used to this sort of thing.

"I'm sorry!" Matsuda said, looking more embarrassed then she was. In fact, she couldn't help her giggle.

But she couldn't giggle about how the atmosphere had been ruined and it was too tense and awkward to even think about continuing the kiss.

"Well—um, now what?" he asked her. They had walked someway from Boss's house, and both of them looking for something to distract.

"HEY!" Meli's voice came out of nowhere, which made Sayu quite happy for once.

"What's going on?" she said, beaming back and forth between them. It didn't take long for her smile to fall. "Did something happen?" she asked.

"No," Sayu said quickly. "Nothing's wrong, I was just thinking how I needed to feed the animals…"

Meli narrowed her eyes, "Riiiight."

"Do you want to come?" Sayu asked Matsuda.

"Ah, I'd love to, but I can't," he said, "I should probably get ready to leave…again." He hadn't realized how many hours had gone by. They had talked so much about things they liked – music, movies, books and anything else that might've come to mind – between introducing houses, that the time seemed to have just flied.

"I'll see you before I go, Sayu," he said. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

Meli's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Sayu touched the spot where he had kissed her as she watched him walk away.

Meli linked her arm through Sayu's, "I'll come do the animal feeding with you," she said.

Mostly because she wanted to get to the bottom of what happened today.


	15. Spill the News!

Word Count: 427

* * *

><p>"Spill! Spill!" Meli echoed, following Sayu wherever she went as she took care of her horses and the solitary goat.<p>

"Yes, I heard you the first time," Sayu said as she dropped flakes of hay for the horses.

Meli gave one last futile attempt, anyway, "Spill."

"He almost kissed me," Sayu spilled.

Meli gasped, "But why almost?"

"Well…Boss interrupted us."

"Wait, Boss? How did Boss interrupt you?"

"We were kinda in front of his house…?"

"_Why_ were you in front of his house?"

"Because I was showing Matsuda around town!"

"Of all the romantic places to stop, you stopped in front of Boss's house?"

"Boss' house is the most romantic, I'm afraid."

"I know, isn't it sad," said Meli. "When's he coming back?"

"He said maybe this weekend."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be sooner then that, you know, with his idea and everything," Meli said, rubbing away a piece of mud that had gotten onto her fingernail.

Sayu rolled that around in her mind. The whole thing didn't make sense. "What did you mean, about his idea?"

Meli scrunched her lips and her eyes got wide. "Did I say something?"

"Yes, you did! What idea?"

"You know, I need to get ready for work. See you!" She sprinted across the lawn.

"Meli!" Sayu yelled after her.

***.***

Sayu did not chase after Meli as she drove away. Merely because she didn't know when Matsuda was going to show up, and she didn't want to miss him. Besides, she could drill Meli over work this evening. Since work wasn't in a few hours, it only made that Meli knew something more obvious.

Sayu was glad she didn't chase after Meli since Matsuda pulled into the driveway five minutes after.

She waved, but she couldn't help the nervous feeling that started to twist in her gut. It made her knees weak and any confidence she had disappear.

He looked cheerful, like normal.

But then why did they get so quiet?

"Hopefully I'll see you soon?" Sayu asked, prevailing over the sudden silence.

"Most likely. If it's not this week, then the next."

She nodded, swallowing back nervous butterflies.

"Sayu? Sayu?" Called Mrs. Yagami from the window.

Of all the times that her mother had to call, it had to be now.

She wanted to say hold on a second, but she couldn't seem to muster that. So instead, before she could think, she hugged Matsuda and then took off to the door.

She smiled from the doorway, waving.

Matsuda grinned back. He was right – her smile was worth everything.


	16. Breakaway

Word Count: 480

* * *

><p>Meli solved that problem quick, Sayu thought, she just didn't even show up.<p>

Sayu considered swinging by Meli's house afterwards, but maybe she was just being pushy. She just hated not knowing things.

She was wispy that evening, not really paying attention to customers and getting orders mixed up. Boss would've sent her home if it wasn't for that he would then only have one waitress, since Meli hadn't shown up.

Sayu was happy that the work hours were over. It had been too much concentration for her at the moment. She kept looking over at Matsuda's table, expecting him to be sitting there, drinking coffee. But he wasn't there, no matter how many times she looked.

She sighed and drank the tea that Shiori had placed out for her (Sayu believed that it was more of a bribe, because she wanted to know what was going on too).

Sayu sighed again, for apparently no reason. It was starting to worry Boss.

She stared at the distorted image of herself in the metal of a pan that hadn't been put away yet. Her nose was too big. Still, even in the imprecise picture of herself, she still looked…happier then she had ever been when she'd moved here.

When Sayu got home that night, she wondered if she should tell her Mom that Matsuda had almost kissed her.

Her mother was sitting in the living room with a book in her hand, but she wasn't reading, she was sleeping.

Sayu got a blanket out and draped it over her.

After Sayu had finished her night-time rituals of taking a shower and brushing her teeth, she was caught by what she saw in the mirror. She _did _seem different, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

Lying in bed, she wondered if her dad would be proud of her for breaking away.

***.***

Aizawa couldn't help his dumbfounded expression. "What do you mean?"

"I said that I'm resigning."

"And moving to the country, I presume?" Aizawa said.

"Sooner or later."

"You're not rushing things, are you?"

"True love is all about rush," Matsuda said, tipping his nose into the air.

"You're a sap, did you know that?"

"I'm beginning to realize that."

"I'm glad that you're learning new things about yourself."

"But come on! I'll be my own Chief! You know how much I've wanted to be a chief?"

Aizawa nodded, "Oh, yes. I have noticed."

"Then we'll all be happier. Besides, I think this country air is doing something for my skin."

Aizawa shook his head and let out a sigh. Matsuda hadn't changed.

"Are you sure you want this?" Aizawa asked.

Matsuda considered for a moment, then he nodded. "Yeah, I've thought it through plenty."

"Okay, just remember that you're welcome back here." Aizawa didn't look up as he said this.

Matsuda smiled, "Thanks, Aizawa. I'll miss you, too."


	17. I'll Be Right Beside You

Word Count: 434

* * *

><p>When Sayu got to the diner that morning, she noticed something was very wrong.<p>

It might have had to with the fact that no one was there.

She was left outside, since Boss never unlocked the door unless he was there. And his car was not even there.

She looked back at the door and noticed a small slip of paper wrapped around the handle. She pulled it off and read it.

_Don't you want to know what's happening at the police station?_

It was written in Meli's handwriting. Sayu sighed. She had no idea what was happening. Was a new chief being picked?

She drove down to the station, plenty surprised to see Matsuda's car in the parking lot. So surprised, that she almost hit someone.

"Sorry," she called.

Sayu got out of the car, wondering if that really_ was_ Matsuda's car. That couldn't be, he left yesterday, and he wasn't even sure if he was coming back this weekend. Why would he…

"Sayu!" She heard him call.

She stared at him as he came running out to her, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt.

"What are you doing here?" She couldn't help that her words came out in stammers.

"Well, I'm the new chief!"

"…Excuse me?"

"I said I'm the new chief. I mean, I'm only the chief of, like, two guys. But I always wanted to be a chief! Aizawa would never let me be one." He pouted.

Sayu just gaped at him, still not comprehending that he was standing right there. First of all, she would have picked something nicer to wear…maybe curled her hair.

"Are you all right?" Matsuda asked, waving his hand in front of her face.

"But that means that you'll have to move here or something…"

"Would you not like me to move here, eventually?"

"Well, no. I wouldn't mind if you moved here," she said, dropping her eyes. "It's just…sudden."

Matsuda wrapped his arms around her and put his forehead to hers, making her blush. "You're just overwhelmed," he said.

"Uh," she said.

"Nobody else will break you with me here," he said as he tipped her chin up.

Then he kissed her. It was sweet and gentle. Something that didn't settle her butterflies but made them fly faster.

The only thing that halted the moment was the flash of a camera. They both turned to see a smirking Meli.

"I wonder how much I can auction this off for?" she said.

Sayu laid her head on Matsuda's chest, not minding Meli for the moment.

It seemed like so many endings, but yet so many beginnings.

_~fin~_

* * *

><p>Author's Notes:<p>

It's finally over! It was a lot of fun to write, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. :-D

Thank you so much for all the reviews/favorites/story alerts that everyone gave. They really kept me going.

I know there is one thing that I'm sure everyone wants me to touch base on, and that's the fact of wondering if Matsuda will ever tell Sayu about what actually happened the last night her brother was alive. Well, I thought that was a bit dark to put into the otherwise fluffy story. And besides, technically that's top secret information that he just can't hand out, right? ;-)

Oh, and of course, thanks to the song that started the story: Beside You by Marianas Trench.

Thank you for reading!

-Coriana


End file.
